While it is nice to know more than one language, making it a requirement for employment in the USA is unacceptable. If people want to retain their own language when they immigrate to the USA, that's fine but they must learn English if they plan on staying here.
My wife and her family immigrated to the USA many years ago and she is not only fluent in English, but also Italian and Spanish as well. When people come up to her speaking Spanish, she ignores them and finds that most of them CAN actually speak English when they have to. This just reinforces my theory that these people just want us to convert to their language instead of them learning ours.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, if you immigrate to another country, you are declaring your desire to become a citizen of that country. As such, it is YOUR responsibility to learn the language of that country and to assimilate to the culture. If you don't feel that you want to, for what ever reason, then you can move right back to wherever you came from and retain your own culture and language. If a person moves to Canada, they are required to learn both English AND French since those are the official languages of Canada. If you want to immigrate to Italy, you learn Italian, France-French, Germany-German, so why has it become OPTIONAL to learn English when people immigrate, legally or illegally, to The United States of America? It's time we take our country back from the invaders that refuse to respect our culture, diversity and language. We didn't move to their country, they came to ours so, why then must we learn THEIR language to retain employment in OUR country?
Question US
Should we be forced to be bilingual in our own country?
ACEDMagazine March 18, 2008 16:29:23
- 90 answers
- Read all 98 comments
- +6 raves
So many job descriptions of late require applicants to speak Spanish and English. The last time I checked this was America, and America is an English-speaking country. Why is it we have to know Spanish to write for an English-speaking publication? To work at any local business that does not deal directly with Spanish-speaking countries? Even an office assistant in a doctor's office is required to speak both languages... They even tried to make Spanish the primary language in some South Florida schools. I am sure there are other similar circumstances in other parts of the country as well.
It is my opinion, if people come here they need to learn to speak English. We did not go to their country they came to ours. And if we had moved to their country, then we should learn their language. I don't think it is right to "require" people to know Spanish or any other language for a job in the US that does not directly deal with other countries.
It is my opinion, if people come here they need to learn to speak English. We did not go to their country they came to ours. And if we had moved to their country, then we should learn their language. I don't think it is right to "require" people to know Spanish or any other language for a job in the US that does not directly deal with other countries.
Loading... 

Top Comment
-
No! We speak English in the States thanks.
While it is nice to know more than one language, making it a requirement for employment in the USA is unacceptable. If people want to retain their own language when they immigrate to the USA, that's fine but they must learn English if they plan on staying here.(more)View thread
My wife and her family immigrated to the USA many years ago and she is not only fluent in English, but also Italian and Spanish as well. When people come up to her speaking Spanish, she ignores them and finds that most of them CAN actually speak English when they have to. This just reinforces my theory that these people just want us to convert to their language instead of them learning ours.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, if you immigrate to another country, you are declaring your desire to become a citizen of that country. As such, it is YOUR responsibility to learn the language of that country and to assimilate to the culture. If you don't feel that you want to, for what ever reason, then you can move right back to wherever you came from and retain your own culture and language. If a person moves to Canada, they are required to learn both English AND French since those are the official languages of Canada. If you want to immigrate to Italy, you learn Italian, France-French, Germany-German, so why has it ...
SodaHead Hot Trends

Yes! We should cater to people speaking other languages, even if it means not getting a job.
No! We speak English in the States thanks.
No! We speak English in the States thanks.
Undecided
Germans generally speak German, Turkish, Serbo-Croatian, Italian, Kurdish.
Tagalog, English is the official language of Philippines
People in Romania speak Romanian, Hungarian, Romani, Turkish, and German
German, French, Italian, Spanish, Serbo-Croatian is the official language of Switzerland
so, asking for spanish is nothing.
No! We speak English in the States thanks.
If we don't wake up soon we are going to lose the USA as we have always known it. How sad.
No! We speak English in the States thanks.
No! We speak English in the States thanks.
No! We speak English in the States thanks.
No! We speak English in the States thanks.
Undecided
No! We speak English in the States thanks.
Undecided
Undecided
No! We speak English in the States thanks.
No! We speak English in the States thanks.
My wife and her family immigrated to the USA many years ago and she is not only fluent in English, but also Italian and Spanish as well. When people come up to her speaking Spanish, she ignores them and finds that most of them CAN actually speak English when they have to. This just reinforces my theory that these people just want us to convert to their language instead of them learning ours.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, if you immigrate to another country, you are declaring your desire to become a citizen of that country. As such, it is YOUR responsibility to learn the language of that country and to assimilate to the culture. If you don't feel that you want to, for what ever reason, then you can move right back to wherever you came from and retain your own culture and language. If a person moves to Canada, they are required to learn both English AND French since those are the official languages of Canada. If you want to immigrate to Italy, you learn Italian, France-French, Germany-German, so why has it ...
My wife and her family immigrated to the USA many years ago and she is not only fluent in English, but also Italian and Spanish as well. When people come up to her speaking Spanish, she ignores them and finds that most of them CAN actually speak English when they have to. This just reinforces my theory that these people just want us to convert to their language instead of them learning ours.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, if you immigrate to another country, you are declaring your desire to become a citizen of that country. As such, it is YOUR responsibility to learn the language of that country and to assimilate to the culture. If you don't feel that you want to, for what ever reason, then you can move right back to wherever you came from and retain your own culture and language. If a person moves to Canada, they are required to learn both English AND French since those are the official languages of Canada. If you want to immigrate to Italy, you learn Italian, France-French, Germany-German, so why has it become OPTIONAL to learn English when people immigrate, legally or illegally, to The United States of America? It's time we take our country back from the invaders that refuse to respect our culture, diversity and language. We didn't move to their country, they came to ours so, why then must we learn THEIR language to retain employment in OUR country?
I have worked in a public service area for many years and have noted, as your wife has, that it is true most, if not all of the spanish or other bilingual people can speak to some length in English and the ones that cannot or choose not to as it "will embarrase them" will bring an interreptor (if I'm lucky), or "struggle through" the English, but the cursing always comes out loud and clear, in English :?. I'm thinking if I need to learn, at the least, conversational languages for other countries then why do we not require conversational english for those coming into the United States.
Just a few thoughts. Thank you for your views, sometimes I think I am alone in what I think but am glad I stummbled across sodahead today.
No! We speak English in the States thanks.
Undecided
Simple. PS - do you know what a socialist is?
No! We speak English in the States thanks.
No! We speak English in the States thanks.
No! We speak English in the States thanks.
No! We speak English in the States thanks.
No! We speak English in the States thanks.
No! We speak English in the States thanks.